No matter where you live, it’s important to stay alert when it comes to increasing air pollution or allergy triggers as a result of your community’s air quality. Even more important: Teaching children about these concepts, their health impacts, and how they can fight back!

This science experiment for kids will help them learn everything they need to know about air quality and pollution.

Conducting an Air Pollution Experiment

We best understand difficult concepts when they can be seen physically. That’s why this science experiment for kids is a great way to show your children how things really are and what invisible threats linger in our air each day. Here’s what you need to start your air pollution experiment.

What You’ll Need

To conduct your air pollution experiment, gather the following:

• 3–4 clear, plastic plates
• A permanent marker
• Some petroleum jelly
• A roll of masking tape or pad of poster putty
• 3–4 blank pieces of paper
• A magnifying glass

 

Experiment How-Tos

First, take a permanent marker and label each of your clear, plastic plates with a different location in your home (bedroom, kitchen, basement, etc.)—you should choose heavily-populated areas in your home for an accurate look at your Indoor Air Quality. Or go above and beyond with a plate labeled ‘outside.’

Once labeled, spread a thin layer of petroleum jelly onto the surface of each of your clear plates. To be sure our air pollution experiment is fair, it’s best to use the same amount of jelly for each plate.

Then, use masking tape (or poster putty) to hang the plates on the walls of their respective rooms. After about two or three days, you can remove your plates and examine your findings. For optimal viewing, place each plate atop its own piece of blank white paper to help reveal the contaminants.

Using a magnifying glass, observe the different particles collected. The results of your air pollution experiment can help your kids better understand the importance of clean, Healthy Air!

How to Talk to Kids About Air Quality

Science experiments for kids, like the one above, can help them care more about the health of their homes, selves, and air! Children who suffer from asthma or allergies should be aware of the air around them and the consequences that exist because of increased air pollution.

By teaching your kids this air pollution experiment, they’ll understand the importance of asking an adult for help when experiencing asthma or allergy symptoms, like shortness of breath.

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